Firearm.



No. 776,381. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

F. W. BROOKS.

FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHI3ET 1.

No. 776,381. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904:. F. W. BROOKS.

FIREARM.

APPLIM TIOH FILED MAR. 31, 1902.

N0 MODEL". 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

will appear as the nature of the invention is UNTTET STATES Patented November 29, 1904.

PATENT Orriea.

FIREARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,381, dated November 29, 1904.

Application filed March 31, 1902.

To all whmn it WI/G/y concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. BRooKs, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Superior, in the county of Douglas and State of WVisconsin, have invented a new and useful Firearm, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to firearms, and particularly to certain improvements in the operating-lever, safety-catch, and trigger of a rifle such as that patented. by A. W. Savage October 3, 1899, No. 634,034.

The object of the invention is without involving material change in construction of the above-named parts and in a ready, simple, and thoroughly-feasible manner to obviate accidental shifting of the safety-catch, and thus the locking of the operating-lever and the trigger against operation, resulting from the forward movement of the hand in the grip of the operating-lever upon the recoil of the rifle when fired.

A further object is without interfering with the action of the operating-lever to project the finger-hold of the trigger a considerable distance farther to the rear than that now occupied by the triggers of this character of rifles, thereby to bring the trigger into a more convenient position to be engaged by the forefinger of the user.

With these and other objects in view, as

better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of the operating-lever, safety-catch, and trigger for firearms, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, there is illustrated only that part of a rifle with which the improvements hereinafter described coact, it being understood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view in side elevation of the grip or frame of the rifle, eX

hibiting the operating-lever, trigger, and

Serial No. 100,798. (No model.)

safety-catch. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, and looking in the direction of the arrow thereon. Fig. ,4 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 44, Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrow thereon, the operating-lever being shown dropped. Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal plan through the rear portion of the operating-lever and looking in the direction of the arrow :0, shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view of the improved trigger. Fig. 7 is .a similar view of the safety-catch. Fig. 8 is a perspective detail view of a form of safety-catch guard adapted to be secured to the operating-lever. Fig. 9 is a similar view of a safety-catch guard adapted to be secured to the grip of the rifle. Fig. 10 is a view in side elevation, on an enlarged scale, showing the breech portion of the rifle with the improvements of the present invention applied thereto.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the frame or grip of a rifle, and 2 the operatin lever, the latter, with the exception of a slight change, hereinafter described, being the same as those in common use on the Savage rifle,

such as referred to, and provided with the usual curved arm 2 for actuating the ejecting and breech-closing mechanism. The upper member 3 of the loop 4 of the operating-lever is provided near its front end and on its right-hand side with a safety-catch guard 5, Which, as clearly shown at 5, projects laterally a suflicient distance to cover the operating-knob 6 of the safety-catch 7 the latter to be of the usual or any preferred construction and operating to lock the trigger and operat ing-lever against operation when so desired. The safety-catch guard may, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, be an integral part of the loop or, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, may be made as a separate article of manufacture and be attached either to the loop of the operatv ing-lever of a rifle already in use, as by being brazed, riveted, or otherwise secured thereto, for which the attachment shown in Fig. 8 is adapted, or be secured to the grip of the rifle, for Which the attachment shown in Fig. 9 is adapted. The projecting parts of this guard are curved to obviate the presentation of an obstruction that might cause injury to the user and is to be so disposed with relation to the knob of the safety-catch as to permit the latter to be freely engaged by the thumb or finger to move it forward, and thus lock the operating-lever and trigger. To facilitate engagement of the knob, the frame and grip contiguous thereto may be cut away, as shown at 8 in Fig. 1. Where the guard is secured to the grip of the rifle as above described, in which case the form of device shown in Fig. 9 will be employed, this attachment will be composed of a plate 9, having a curved extension 10 to project over the knob of the safety-catch, and thus present a guard which will be thoroughly eflicient for the purpose designed and will possess the advantage of being readily applied to the rifle by a person of ordinary mechanical ability, whereas the form of guard shown in Fig. 8 will require the services of a skilled mechanic to position it for use. When the form of detachable guard shown in Fig. 9 is employed, the guard extension 10 will fit within the cutaway portion 11 of the loop that is provided for the reception of the head of the safetycatch.

The safety-cateh is provided with a pin 12, which is designed to engage with an orifice 13 in the operating-lever to lock it, the forward end of the safety-catch at the same time passing back of the trigger and locking it against operation, and to prevent interference between the said pin and the operating-lever the end of the pin is beveled or cut away, as at 13, so that should the pin project slightly into the path of the lever when the latter is being returned to position after having expelled a shell the beveled portion will operate as a cam and by coaction with the lever will cause the safety-catch to be projected .rearwardly, and thus out of the path of the said lever.

The novel form of trigger to which reference has been made is provided in order to reduce the stretch of the users finger in operating the trigger. The trigger of the ordi nary Savage rifle, owing to the are described by the operating-lever when moved upon its pivot, has to be projected to a point practically midway of the length of the triggerguard, which latter is formed by a downwardcurved extension 13 on the frame and a portion of the lever. Otherwise when the lever is moved downward it will engage with the trigger. To obviate this, the finger-hold 14: of the trigger is projected laterally out of the path of movement of the curved arm 2 of the lever, as clearly shown in Fig. 6L, and by this arrangement the finger-hold may be formed on a much longer curve and project closer to the rear wall of the trigger-guard, and thus be within more convenient reach of the finger of the user. To obviate any possibility of interference between the finger-hold and the operating-lever, the latter is cut away or recessed, as at 15, thereby to clear the terminal of the trigger.

While all of the improvements herein described are highly advantageous and will impart added novelty and value to the rifle, their adoption will not require any change in the structural arrangement of an existing rifle other than that which can readily be accomplished by an ordinary gunsmith.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a firearm, an operating-lever having at its upper portion a recess and provided with a catch-receiving opening in the rear portion of the trigger-guard, a slidable bar housed in a recess in the grip, the forward end of said bar forming a safety-catch for engagement with the trigger of the firearm, a lug carried by an intermediate portion of the arm, a pin projecting from said lug and adapted to enter the catch-receiving opening of the trigger-guard, an operating-knob or finger-piece projecting laterally from the lug, said grip having a side recess in order to expose the upper and outer portion of said operatingknob, and a flange forming a part of the op erating-lever, and the lower wall of said recess, the flange being extended outward to a point beyond the operating-knob and serving to prevent accidental movement of the latter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK W. BROOKS.

lVitnesses:

H. W. DIETRICH, ETHEL DAVIS. 

